This invention relates generally to a method for controlling switch of input mode of keyboard instructions, more particularly to a method basing on an extra auxiliary keypad independent to a main keyboard, wherein both the keypad and the main keyboard are workable without interaction for easy input of figures or characters.
In appealing to portability, an existing notebook computer is usually made as smaller as possible, wherein a plurality of input keys are arranged in a main keyboard for input of figures and characters concurrently; a xe2x80x9cNum Lock keyxe2x80x9d, is designated for switching back and forth between those two input modesxe2x80x94the figure-input and the character-input mode. However, it is somewhat inconvenient and inefficient for input of figures and characters by switching repeatedly between modes.
In view of abovesaid defect, an externally coupled auxiliary keypad extended from the main keyboard of the notebook computer has been introduced later on to serve as an extra exclusive small keyboard for input of figures, so that a user needs not to press a mode-switch key each time when he is intended to change the input mode. Uncoincidentally, the xe2x80x9cNum Lock keyxe2x80x9d of the keypad is interactive with that of the main keyboard because they transmit the same key code to the host notebook computer synchronously, or in other words, when the keypad is set xe2x80x9cONxe2x80x9d, the main keyboard enters xe2x80x9cONxe2x80x9d state too (figure-input mode), hence, input of characters in the main keyboard will be affected inevitably.
For eliminating this drawback, some keypads are designed to force the main keyboard to enter xe2x80x9cOFFxe2x80x9d state (non-figure input mode) in the way:
xe2x80x9cIf the keypad enters xe2x80x9cONxe2x80x9d state and an arbitrary key of the keypad is pressed, a Num Lock code will be transmitted to the host frame for changing the xe2x80x9cNum Lock keyxe2x80x9d of the main keyboard into xe2x80x9cONxe2x80x9d state, then a key code is sent to the host frame, and after that, another Num Lock code is sent to the host frame for changing back the main keyboard into original xe2x80x9cOFFxe2x80x9d state.xe2x80x9d In short, the main keyboard is supposed to enter xe2x80x9cONxe2x80x9d state temporarily when, and only when, an arbitrary key of the keypad is pressed, or it is kept staying at xe2x80x9cOFFxe2x80x9d state otherwise. When the keypad is xe2x80x9cOFF,xe2x80x9d and so is the main;keyboard, both can send the same key code to the host frame without needing transmission of other codes. However, such, an arrangement confines the xe2x80x9cNum Lock keyxe2x80x9d of the main, keyboard normally under xe2x80x9cOFFxe2x80x9d state will limit the same for taking part in building function keys.
The primary object of this invention is to provide and load a program for controlling switch of input mode of keyboard instructions to thereby intellectualize a keypad without forcing any of or both the keypad and a main keyboard to retain at a specified state. In other words, the program of the keypad will read the present status flag of the keypad and the main keyboard and put them in memory. Hence, when an arbitrary key of the keypad is pressed, the program will compare whether the state of the keypad and the main keyboard are identical or not; if positive, a key code from the keypad is acceptable, otherwise, a Num Lock code will be transmitted to a host frame of a notebook computer for changing the state of the main keyboard into that of the keypad for receiving a key code from the keypad. After transmission of the key code to the host frame, the program will send the Num Lock code again to the host frame for restoring the state of the main keyboard while the keypad maintains at its original state.
Another object of this invention is to provide and load a program for controlling switch of input mode of keyboard instructions, which, the program, can be loaded in a main keyboard instead of a keypad for association with an average keypad.